The bye has been and gone and we’ve got 7 more of Adelaide’s pub steaks in our bellies, so what better time for another wrap up. At the mid way point our ladder is starting to take shape, with several venues leading the flock, whilst others trail the mob.
New Dad, and inform full back of the competition Bobby Carlile joined us at the Seven Stars hotel. The Seven Stars produced a faultless evening, with divine service, ample Tuesday night vibes and as Phil Walsh would say “eeeelite” quality. Bobby tried to attribute his recent form to his increased maturity and hard work but it’s no doubting his guest appearance was the telling factor.
Similarly, on the back of a hearty rib eye (the only option available), new arrival Jarred Polec & his left peg have been in scintillating form, taking the competition by storm. Poly, the ex-Brisbane midfielder has been carving up since his return to Adelaide, on and off (at the dinner table/on instagram) the field. The highlight of the Kings Head was the service, whilst the other elements proved decent but not exceptional. The high quality of the steaks was reflected in the premium price. Kane’s pet hate of having his steak served on top of his mash was realised, detracting from his meal, whilst No sauce Newton was very complimentary of their lack of sauce.
On the theme of new recruits, our next two guests were Matt White, the zone 7 dynamo, and Sam Gray, the chippy from Cleve. If you’re struggling to put face to ankle with Matt White, he’s the bloke with a tattoo of a flame on the side of his leg. He joined us at the Exceter, which offered a variety of graziers cuts at a very reasonable price. Whitey said that his steak “was on the rare side of medium rare, which I really like.” Whether they were telepathic or just fluked this is up to the reader. Brogs was also unusually descriptive with his remarks about the diane sauce saying it was “very nice”. The Exeter, located on the main strip of Semaphore is an enticing pub, especially on a warm summers evening. The highlight however was the skill tester, which appeared to be spewing out fun sized chocolates. For a group of easily pleased footballers, and several middle aged Dads this proved the highlight and a genuine drawcard for the establishment.
Grayza Junior was out of luck, joining us at the Excelsior in Brompton. For a pub proclaiming to serve the best (steaks) in the west, they are basically proclaiming that the West only has shit steaks, which from our experience we know is a lie. Sammy said he’s had better at the Cleve pub, which is slightly insulting to Cleve. He also stated that it was lucky he got drafted because according to his tradie math $45 for his steak was a rort. The service was slow, the vibe was poor, and the meat, whilst cooked to our liking was slightly tough. However, they do offer some ‘big hooers’ (big steaks), so if you’re in the Matt Lobbe mould perhaps this is the place for you. Lobbes, for the second time since our inception, tackled a 1.5kg beast, claiming victory despite once again cutting off up to 400gms in the name of fat.
Our round 1 showdown clash saw us take on one of our own, the Alberton Hotel. Fittingly, we were joined by big game specialist and showdown medallist Chad Wingard (so many accidental rhymes today). The Alberton has a familiar feel, friendly service and a SALAD BAR. This is a bigger deal for some than it is for others. I’m sure you can guess who! The Alberton could easily be confused for a take away establishment, as was the haste of the whole dinner service. One could say we went slam, bam, and thankyou mam- in steak eating kind of way. Despite the speed, quality & quantity were of a reasonable standard (7 & 7). The standout was service, quantity and the mushroom sauce.
1st year draftees Darcy ‘Bones’ Jones and Sam ‘Rooster’ Russell found time in their all consuming milk drinking, fashion swindling schedules to join us at the Arab Steed on Hutt st. The Arab Steed proved a real stayer, bolting to the front early with brilliant service and vibe, before holding on down the back straight with high quality and quantity to top our mid year rankings by the half a head. The service was impeccable, not waiting furlong for our meals. Furthermore, they catered fervently to Bones Jones calcium requirements, sourcing the finest glass of skim milk in all the ‘lands’ (fridge) to accompany his steak. Brogs, upon sampling the milk, made known his proclivity for ‘really cold milk.’ Kane felt like the Steed was “pumping for a Tuesday” while several of the boys made mention that “the futuristic pod” as being a “nice touch”, proving very stable (sorry not punny). The boys devoured some high quality and good value porterhouse and rib eye steaks, with plenty of horsing around on the side. Kane’s penchant for presentation was highlighted again, with a sly remark regarding his aversion for his sauce served in a jar, whilst Bones offered some mildly ruthless criticisms of the lack of menus and forks- fa forks sake. Despite these small faults the evening was far from a night-mare. – 8/10.
‘Be there or be rare’
The Medium Rares 